UCAS Extra is an additional application phase opening 25 February 2027 for students who used all five UCAS choices and are not holding any offer. You can add one course at a time from universities with available Extra vacancies. If you receive an offer through Extra and accept it, you are enrolled.

When does UCAS Extra open in 2027?

UCAS Extra opens on 25 February 2027 and runs until 1 July 2027. If it does not result in an offer, you automatically enter Clearing from 2 July 2027.

How is Extra different from Clearing?

Extra runs February to July and operates at a slower pace — you add one course at a time and wait for university responses. Clearing opens in July and involves active phone calls to universities, verbal offer collection, and same-day decisions. Extra gives you more time and control; Clearing is faster and more competitive.

Can I add more than one Extra choice at a time?

No. You can only have one Extra choice active at a time. If a university responds to your Extra choice — with an offer or a rejection — you can then add a new Extra choice. If you are waiting for a response, the system does not allow a second simultaneous choice.

What courses appear in UCAS Extra?

Only courses where universities have explicitly made Extra places available appear in the Extra search. This is separate from the main UCAS course search. Filter by subject, location, institution, and entry requirements. Contact admissions directly before adding a choice to confirm suitability.

UCAS Extra 2027: Opens February 25, Who It Is For, and How to Find

UCAS Extra opens 25 February 2027 for students who used all five UCAS choices and are not holding any offers. It runs until 1 July 2027. Extra allows you to add one additional course choice at a time from universities with available places. This guide covers who is eligible for Extra, how to find courses, what to do when a university responds, and how Extra differs from Clearing.

What Extra Is and Who It Is For

UCAS Extra is a service that opens in February for applicants who find themselves with no remaining UCAS choices that have resulted in offers they want to accept. It runs as a bridge between the main application period and Clearing, giving applicants additional chances to find a place before the summer.

You are eligible for UCAS Extra if, by the time it opens on 25 February 2027:
- You have used all five of your original UCAS choices
- You are not currently holding any offer (firm or insurance)

This covers students who received rejections or withdrawals from all five choices, and students who declined all offers they received. It does not apply to students who still have outstanding choices — universities that have not yet responded. In that case, you wait for those responses before Extra becomes available to you.

How Extra Works: The Mechanics

Extra is accessed through your UCAS Hub. From 25 February 2027, if you are eligible, an Extra option appears in your Hub. You can then:

Search for courses with Extra vacancies through the UCAS Extra search (only courses with available places appear)
Contact the admissions team at a university that has a relevant course in Extra — UCAS encourages proactive contact before adding the choice
Add one course as your Extra choice in the Hub
Wait for the university to respond — they have a set number of days to respond to Extra choices
If you receive an offer through Extra, accept it and you are enrolled
If you do not receive an offer, you can remove that Extra choice and add a different one

The critical constraint: you can only have one Extra choice active at a time. If you add a choice and are waiting for a response, you cannot add another until that one is concluded (offer received and declined, or rejection received).

The Difference Between Extra and Clearing

Extra and Clearing are both mechanisms for finding a place after the main application round, but they operate differently.

Extra: Runs February 25 to July 1. You are in control — you add one course at a time and approach universities proactively. Universities contact you by responding to your Hub choice. The pace is slower and more deliberate than Clearing.

Clearing: Opens July 2 and runs through October. You call universities directly, collect verbal offers, and add a Clearing choice from 1pm on results day. Clearing is faster-paced and involves active phone contact with multiple universities simultaneously.

If Extra does not produce an offer by July 1, you automatically move into Clearing from July 2. Most applicants who use Extra in February and March — when the full year of Extra is available and course vacancies are relatively plentiful — have a meaningfully better chance than students who wait for Clearing in late August.

How to Find Extra Courses That Suit You

The UCAS Extra search tool at ucas.com shows courses currently in Extra. You can filter by subject, institution, location, and entry requirements. Search regularly — courses are added and removed as universities add vacancies and fill places.

The Extra search is separate from the main UCAS course search. Not every course on the main UCAS search is available in Extra — only courses where the university has explicitly made Extra places available.

When you find a course that interests you, do not immediately add it as your Extra choice without first contacting the admissions office. UCAS recommends that Extra applicants contact the admissions team directly before adding the choice to confirm there is a place available for an applicant with your specific background and qualifications. A quick email or phone call confirming interest and suitability saves time compared to adding a choice that results in a quick rejection.

What Admissions Offices Look For in Extra Applications

Universities reviewing Extra applications know that the applicant has not been successful in their initial choices. They are looking for:

A genuine reason for choosing this course and institution. Generic interest signals that the applicant has landed on this course by process of elimination rather than genuine consideration. Specific interest — demonstrating real knowledge of the course and a genuine reason for choosing this university — is more persuasive.

Academic profile that meets their requirements. Extra is not a route around academic grade requirements. If your predicted or achieved grades do not meet the course requirements, the Extra application is unlikely to succeed regardless of how strong your personal statement is.

Any new information since your original application. If your UCAS application was submitted in January and you are now approaching a university through Extra in March, you may have new information — an updated mock grade, a new achievement, additional work experience. Include this in any email contact with the admissions team.

Timing Matters in Extra

February and early March are the best time to use Extra. Course vacancies are highest at the start of the Extra period, when universities have had the least time to fill remaining places. June is the worst time — most available places have already been filled through Extra over the preceding four months, and students who have been in Extra the longest and are still without offers are competing for very few remaining vacancies.

If you are eligible for Extra from February 25, begin your search and make contact with universities in the first week. Do not treat Extra as a slow-moving backup while you focus on other things. Active use in February produces the best outcomes.

What to Do If Extra Does Not Work

If you are in Extra through June and have not received any offers, prepare for Clearing. From July 2, you automatically enter Clearing. The transition is handled through UCAS Hub — you do not need to do anything specific to move from Extra to Clearing.

Clearing offers a wider range of courses and a larger volume of available places than Extra in any single month, but it runs in a more compressed and higher-pressure environment. Prepare for Clearing in advance: know how to use the vacancy search, know how Clearing phone calls work, and have a clear idea of which subjects and institutions you are genuinely interested in pursuing.

UCAS Extra 2027: What It Is, When It Opens, and How to Use It